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HomeMy WebLinkAbout09/17/2025 - Economic Advisory Board - AGENDA - Regular Meeting Economic Advisory Board REGULAR MEETING September 17, 2025, 4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. HYBRID MEETING OPTIONS Physical Location: 215 Laporte Ave EOC Training Space. Virtual option via Microsoft Teams: https://www.fcgov.com/eab-meeting 1. CALL TO ORDER 2. ROLL CALL 3. AGENDA REVIEW 4. CITIZEN PARTICIPATION 5. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 6. NEW BUSINESS a. Downtown Parking Fees Memo 7. UNFINISHED BUSINESS 8. BOARD MEMBER REPORTS 9. OTHER BUSINESS a. Future agenda items – what is top of mind for you? 10. ADJOURNMENT 9/17/2025 – AGENDA 8/20/2025– MINUTES Economic Advisory Board REGULAR MEETING Wednesday, August 20, 2025 – 4:00 PM 215 N Mason, EOC, or Microsoft Teams 1. CALL TO ORDER: 4:00 PM 2. ROLL CALL a. Board Members Present – • Braulio Rojas (Chair) • Chris Denton (Vice Chair) • Val Kailburn • Tim Cochran • Phillip Callahan • Kim Palmer • Thierry Dossou • Brad Kreikemeier b. Board Members Absent – c. Staff Members Present – • Tyler Menzales, Staff Liaison • Katie Donahue, Natural Areas Director • Drew Brooks, Deputy Director of Planning, Development, and Transportation d. Guest(s) – 3. AGENDA REVIEW Menzales reviewed the published agenda. 4. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION None. 5. APPROVAL OF MINUTES – JUNE 2025 Chair Rojas made a motion, seconded by Tim Cochran, to approve the minutes of the June 2025 meeting as presented. The motion was adopted unanimously. 8/20/2025– MINUTES 6. NEW BUSINESS a. Natural Areas Presentation and Discussion Katie Donahue, Natural Areas Director, stated Natural Areas in Fort Collins are defined as such because the individuals who wrote the initial ballot language thirty years ago wanted to convey the intent around the conservation of nature and healthy ecosystems. She noted the County program is called Open Space and there is not functionally much of a difference between the two programs. Donahue stated the Natural Areas Program is funded by two dedicated sales taxes which have been approved by voters six times over thirty years. She noted the mission of the Program is to conserve and enhance lands with natural resource, agricultural and scenic values, while providing meaningful education and appropriate recreation opportunities. Additionally, she noted the Program has two types of properties: those that are owned in fee title and those that have conservation easements. Donahue stated the Natural Areas Strategic Plan was adopted by Council last night and includes a vision for “Thriving Ecosystems for a Greater Fort Collins Community.” The goals of the Plan are: to conserve and protect land and water, to strengthen habitats and ecological resilience, to support access to nature, and to foster community connections and stewardship. Donahue stated the Natural Areas Program manages 52 properties, though not all are open to the public. She also noted there are 22 named Natural Areas along the Poudre River and there are some regional properties, including Gateway Natural Area in the Poudre Canyon, Bobcat Ridge Natural Area southwest of town, and Soapstone Prairie Natural Area north of town, which accounts for half of the Program’s acreage. Donahue discussed the teams that work within Natural Areas: land conservation and acquisition, planning and special projects, ecological stewardship, built infrastructure, community connections and protection, including Natural Areas Rangers and public engagement. Additionally, Donahue noted there are over 550 Program volunteers whose work equates to five full-time employees. Donahue further detailed the sales taxes that fund the Natural Areas Program, one quarter-cent sales and use tax in Fort Collins and one County sales and use tax. She noted there is very specific ballot language about how funds can be used for the City tax: 80% must be used for land acquisition or restoration with the remaining 20% for operations and other items. Donahue noted the current City tax expires at the end of 2030 and Council just referred a new citizen initiative to the November ballot which would extend the funding in perpetuity and make some adjustments as to how it can be spent. Donahue noted there are two other November ballot measures related to 8/20/2025– MINUTES Natural Areas, one would require the purchase of the entire Hughes Stadium site for use as a Natural Area, and one would follow the recommendations of the civic assembly to make the Hughes property multi-use with about 60 acres being a Natural Area. She noted the City sales tax ballot item is an extension of the existing tax and there is TABOR language in the item that states that fact. Additionally, that item would allow the 80/20 split to shift over time to more operations expenditures and less acquisition expenditures. Chair Rojas asked about the process for identifying and purchasing a Natural Area. Donahue replied the process is unique to every parcel, though there is a rough idea as to where Natural Areas need to be located. She noted cold calls are often made to landowners who have properties that may be appropriate for conservation. She also noted it is desirable to connect Natural Areas to make larger habitat swaths and trail connections. Additionally, other community goals, such as affordable housing, are considered. She cited an example of a recent land purchase that will mostly be a Natural Area but will include a few acres to be land banked for affordable housing. Chair Rojas asked who decides which properties to purchase. Donahue replied the process starts with the staff leadership team, including Real Estate Services. Quarterly meetings happen with the Board and they receive confidential land updates and provide feedback. Additionally, Donahue noted that Council must be notified if a purchase is over $2 million, though Councilmembers typically do not weigh in. A member asked if staff works with developers to provide Natural Areas in developments. Donahue replied there are development requirements for open space and Natural Areas are not a replacement for those requirements; however, Natural Areas can be involved in conversations if there are opportunities to provide more than the required open space. She also noted HOA open spaces are becoming part of the Nature in the City program to provide more natural habitat and native species. Chair Rojas asked if there are winter Natural Areas activities. Donahue replied there are activities year-round and noted there is a calendar available on the Natural Areas website. Vice Chair Denton asked how the impact of Natural Areas on Fort Collins businesses is quantified. Donahue replied that does not occur given the mission is so ecologically focused. She stated it would be difficult to justify funding for something like an economic impact study, though anecdotally, Natural Areas are part of what attracts people and businesses to Fort Collins. She stated the things Natural Areas tends to measure include how many people utilize the land and levels of satisfaction. She also noted there is some tension around Natural Areas not being a one-stop shop for recreation. A member asked how Fort Collins compares to other cities regionally and nationally. Donahue replied Fort Collins is in good company with partners across the Front Range who have similarly scoped programs. However, Fort Collins is leanly staffed for running an open space program. She stated Colorado is ahead of the game nationally in terms of county and municipal 8/20/2025– MINUTES open space programs and most of those efforts are done privately in other parts of the country. A member asked if there is a minimum land size that would be considered for conservation. Donahue replied there is no specific minimum and land is considered based on what can be accomplished there. She noted there are some one- and two-acre sites. Chair Rojas requested some clarification regarding the Hughes site. Donahue replied the City purchased the land from CSU as the result of a 2021 ballot initiative. She stated the debt service for the purchase is currently being split between Natural Areas and the general fund and noted that will be reconciled by acreage once the use of the property is determined. She stated that if the ballot measure passes to require the use of the property solely as a Natural Area, the Natural Areas Program will be responsible for $14 million, which is the purchase price plus the debt service. She noted that purchase would likely require other land acquisition to be put on hold for two to three years, though funds could be borrowed if necessary. A member asked if the Hughes property is attractive to Natural Areas. Donahue replied there are other Natural Areas in town that are surrounded by roadways, though the property was not identified as a priority in the previous Strategic Plan. She noted Maxwell, Reservoir Ridge, and Pineridge Natural Areas are all very nearby; therefore, resources would likely have been focused elsewhere. However, she stated the property could be a good Natural Area and staff will manage it as directed by the desires of the community. b. Dinner Break (**Secretary’s Note: The Board took a brief recess at this point in the meeting.) c. Parking Services Presentation and Discussion Drew Brooks, Deputy Director of Planning, Development, and Transportation, stated Parking Services is working with Walker Parking Consultants and the Downtown Development Authority (DDA) to examine at the downtown parking system. He stated the project goals include development of a parking system fit for the future, support of a vibrant and active downtown economy, providing a customer-focused system that provides choice for all parkers and modes, and providing a parking system that is financially sustainable and aligned with community goals. Brooks noted Fort Collins has an upside-down parking system downtown in which the most desired and valuable spaces are free, and the spaces that should be used for longer visits are paid. He noted plans dating back to 2013 have identified the problem, which leads to people circling to find a space, directly conflicting with climate and other goals. Brooks noted there is little consensus among downtown businesses as to the appropriate tactic. Brooks outlined the funding for Parking Services, noting it needed to seek funding from the general fund, particularly after the pandemic, and used 8/20/2025– MINUTES American Rescue Plan Act funds for parking structure repairs. Brooks discussed parking demand in the downtown area and noted on-street occupancy in core block faces is starting to exceed a healthy level. He noted congested parking may mean individuals leave downtown, which is unhealthy for businesses. Brooks discussed some data collected by the DDA related to cell phone location data, including time spent in the downtown area, which averaged 117 minutes, just shy of the two-hour parking limit. Additionally, he noted about 85% of visitors travelled three miles or greater to get to the downtown area with 55% being from zip codes outside of Fort Collins. Brooks stated about a quarter of the citations written by Parking Services are for being over the two-hour time limit. Citations are also written for parking in a red zone, expired plates, and other reasons. A member asked about parking structure usage. Brooks replied there is significant capacity in the parking structures and stated a full parking structure would be somewhere in the 70% range, though occupancy is usually closer to 50-55%. Brooks outlined some of the Walker Consultants recommendations, including going to a paid on-street model, improving parking wayfinding signage, adjusting garage parking rates, providing a menu of commuter and employee options, and looking at a different governance model for how decisions are made. He showed a map of possible downtown parking zones and discussed multi-space meters and parking apps. Additionally, he commented on the need to improve access control in parking structures as the current gateless system requires staff to drive through the structures to see who has paid and who has not. He outlined the potential revenue impacts of the changes and stated there is a total possible gain of about $2.8-5.5 million. A member asked what would occur with any net positive outflows. Brooks replied the current budget does not include any type of parking structure expansion, or funds could go toward supporting more general downtown maintenance. A member commented on the ease with which people can shop online and expressed concern that adding parking costs may increase the difficulty of buying from downtown businesses. Brooks replied he has heard the reverse of that from some businesses as there is some benefit to a parking model where people are not circling the blocks, leaving downtown and not returning. Members commented on the importance of having some type of parking arrangement with downtown employers and businesses. Brooks noted there are few peer cities that do not already have paid on-street downtown parking. He discussed the pre- and post-paid parking downtown sales revenue for Idaho Springs, which has steadily climbed since paid parking was instituted in 2018, with the exception of 2020. Additionally, Manitou Springs, which has a full dynamic pricing model that is quite aggressive, has seen increased sales tax revenue. It was noted that both of 8/20/2025– MINUTES those cities are highly tourist-driven. Brooks stated there will be an open house on September 17th and the month of October will be spent going door-to-door talking to businesses. Staff will then return to Council in December to provide an implementation plan and timeline. Chair Rojas expressed support for price elasticity. Brooks stated the on-street parking costs would likely be $1.50-$2 per hour and parking structures would likely either stay at $1.00 per hour or be slightly lower, still with the first hour being free. Members also suggested the possibility of having the first 15 minutes of on-street parking be free, at least initially. Members suggested other payment possibilities, including having some type of prepaid account. Menzales suggested Brooks return in November for an additional discussion and Chair Rojas suggested the Board discuss drafting a memo for Council at its next meeting. 7. UNFINISHED BUSINESS None. 8. BOARD MEMBER REPORTS Chair Rojas reported on a meeting with Mayor Arndt, who is the Council liaison to the Board. He stated she wanted to share her appreciation to the Board Members for their time and service. 9. STAFF REPORTS None. 10. OTHER BUSINESS None. 11. ADJOURNMENT a. 5:58 PM Minutes approved by the Chair and a vote of the Board/Commission on XX/XX/XX Economic Health Office 300 LaPorte Avenue PO Box 580 Fort Collins, CO 80522 970.221.6505 970.224.6107 – fax MEMORANDUM September 17, 2025 Mayor and Councilmembers Kelly DiMartino, City Manager; SeonAh Kendall, Economic Health Director FROM: Chris Denton, Vice-Chair – Economic Advisory Board; and Members, Economic Advisory Board. RE: On August 20, 2025, this Board received a representative from the Parking Services Department, who presented the City of Fort Collins’ plan to change how downtown parking is managed—including time limits, permits, and pricing. The City is seeking to address a financial deficit associated with operating parking services in the Downtown area. As a result, Parking Services is restructuring the parking fee model to generate more revenue. The primary proposed change is the elimination of free on-street parking, which is expected to increase revenue, reduce traffic and pollution, and encourage greater use of parking structures. Additionally, Parking Services has reviewed relevant data and evaluated the experiences of other cities in implementing similar changes. Overall, this Board supports the Parking Services plan. The information presented was comprehensive and reflects a thoughtful approach to addressing the financial challenges of managing downtown parking. However, this Board recommends the following considerations: 1. Keep parking fees affordable for downtown visitors. 2. Implement a simple and user-friendly payment system. 3. Collaborate with the downtown business community to mitigate potential negative impacts— such as challenges with employee parking. This Board remains open to providing further review and feedback as needed. Sincerely, Braulio Rojas